Leading 5G networks across South Asia

Ashutosh Ganage leads Ericsson’s network operations across 3 countries

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

City-born Ashutosh Ganage, currently heading Network Operations for Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka at Ericsson, exemplifies how strong roots and focused specialization can lead to global leadership in the telecom sector.

An alumnus of citys college, Ganage began his journey in 2000 as a BSS Engineer at BPL Mobile. Over the years, he held crucial roles in Nokia India and Bharti Airtel, where he spearheaded network planning and deployment across Gujarat and national verticals. His strategic rise in the telecom industry now positions him at the forefront of 5G operations in South Asia. “It is not necessary to go into the software industry to succeed,” Ganage shared. “If you specialise and dedicate yourself to one domain, excellence will follow.” Speaking to Lokmat Times, Ganage shared insights from his current role. “In Malaysia, we are testing automation buses and industry-linked machine-to-machine networks under the 5G rollout. Due to smaller geography, their application testing is faster,” he said. “In India, although we see more innovation, the execution often faces hurdles due to scale. However, Indian work culture is driven by intense performance aggression, which has its own power.”

Ashutosh Ganage’s story stands as a powerful message for the youth of Tier-2 cities: that excellence, when grounded in hard work and specialization, knows no boundaries.

---------------------------------------

Shifting landscape, rising potential

Ganage also reflected on the shifting industrial landscape of his hometown. “Many senior industrialists from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar are stepping back, while the youth are increasingly migrating. But with focused efforts, the city has immense potential to lead the tech-driven future.”

-----------------------------------------

A passion for wildlife photography

Apart from his telecom expertise, Ganage is also a passionate wildlife photographer, having captured stunning moments of wildlife across regions. “It’s a way to reconnect with nature and balance life beyond networks and data,” he said, sharing an image of a leopard he captured in the wild.